Angelqueen.org

Posted:

Mon Oct 22, 2007 4:48 am (GMT -5)
$25 million short

Diocese of San Diego may have to sell chancery and seminary if parishioners don't pony up for sex-abuse settlement

California Catholic Daily
October 22, 2007
http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=fc1f7e1e-64f4-42a0-b1b7-158912968232

The Diocese of San Diego will be forced to sell its chancery and seminary if parishioners cannot come up with the $25.3 million sought by the bishop to help pay off last month's $182.9 million settlement reached with alleged victims of sexual abuse.

In a letter dated Oct. 15 sent to all 99 parishes of the diocese, Bishop Robert Brom asks "everyone in the diocese" to participate in what he terms "a sacrificial giving campaign which we are calling Embracing Our Mission."

In his letter, Bishop Brom refers to the sex-abuse settlement as "compassionate outreach to our brothers and sisters who suffered sexual abuse within the family of the Church," even though the diocese fought long and hard against the civil lawsuits and at one time considered declaring bankruptcy. The diocese has since said it will withdraw its bankruptcy petition.

According to supporting documents provided with the bishop's letter, the settlements require payment of $152,721,350 for "111 Diocesan Cases," and another $30,269,098 for "22 religious order cases." Of the total, $75,650,000 will be paid by insurance, $17 million will be paid by religious orders ("anticipated"), $20 million will come from "diocesan unrestricted assets," $40 million from sale of "high school properties," and another $5 million from the sale of "miscellaneous properties."

That still leaves a balance of $25,340,448 – the amount the diocese is asking the faithful to make up in the "Embracing Our Mission" campaign. According to statistics published on the diocesan homepage, there are 980,777 Catholics in the diocese, so the payment of $25,340,448 by the faithful amounts to $25.84 from each Catholic in the diocese.

"The diocese is selling the former University of San Diego High School site, the former Marian Catholic High School site and the Oceanside property purchased but rejected as a site for a new high school in North County," explains a document accompanying the bishop's letter. "Proceeds are anticipated to be $90 million of which the diocese committed $25 million to Cathedral Catholic High School and $25 million to Mater Dei Catholic High School at the time of their construction. The remaining $40 million will be used for the settlement."

The diocese will also borrow money to meet the agreed-upon payment schedule for the settlement, and plans to pay the interest on the loan by "reducing expenses at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in the amount of approximately $3 million annually."

But the diocese warns: "If the Embracing Our Mission campaign is not successful, the diocese has only two other properties which it can liquidate for settlement purposes, namely, the Diocesan Pastoral Center and St. Francis Seminary."

The pastoral center, named for San Diego's first bishop, Charles F. Buddy, is situated in the northern part of the city in a middle class neighborhood known as Clairemont. The seminary is located adjacent to the University of San Diego, but is no longer called a seminary – in 2002 Bishop Brom changed it to "a house of priestly formation." As of April 2006, there were just four seminarians living there.

If the Diocese of San Diego should ultimately be forced to sell its chancery, it would not be the first Southern California diocese required to pay such a heavy price for the sexual-molestation scandal. On May 15, Cardinal Roger Mahony announced that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles would sell the Archdiocesan Catholic Center – the archdiocese's chancery – to help pay for settlements agreed to in sex-abuse civil lawsuits filed against the archdiocese.

Cardinal wary of speakers at conference on gays

Posted:

Mon Oct 22, 2007 4:21 am (GMT -5)
Cardinal wary of speakers at conference on gays

By SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH
[Chicago] Sun Times
10/21/2007
http://catholiccitizens.org/press/pressview.asp?c=42810

Cardinal Francis George says he thinks some speakers at DePaul University's upcoming "Out There" conference on homosexuality may be too out there.

Some presenters may encourage people to ignore Catholic teaching and may justify same-sex behavior that "brings people's salvation into jeopardy," the cardinal wrote in a column for the latest Archdiocese of Chicago newspaper.

"To the extent that this is true, the purpose of the conference moves from reflection to advocacy in the name of being 'pastoral,' " the cardinal wrote.

The Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, DePaul's president, acknowledged that some speakers may promote ideas that conflict with church teaching. But he supports their "freedom of inquiry."

The "Out There" conference, being held Friday and Saturday, is for scholars, students and university staff involved in gay issues on Catholic campuses.

"Too often when bishops hear 'homosexuality,' they immediately think about sexual behavior," said Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, a conference speaker. "To single that out is a narrow understanding of what the conference is about and what gay and lesbian people are about."

Canada Family Continues Push for Unborn Victims Law

Posted:

Sun Oct 21, 2007 7:06 pm (GMT -5)

Canada Family Continues Push for Unborn Victims Law After Mom's Death

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 19, 2007

Ottawa, Canada (LifeNews.com) -- A family in Canada is continuing to push for an unborn victims law there that provides both protection and justice for pregnant women and their unborn children. The family of a 25-year-old woman who was seven months pregnant when she and her unborn child were murdered wants to see others protected.
Aysun Sesen died on October 2 after she was stabbed in the stomach and her baby was delivered stillborn.

Now, Aydin Cocelli, her brother-in-law, is asking for a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to press his case for "babies who died before they even opened their eyes."

"The law is wrong," he told CanWest News Service. "My sister-in-law got killed, but her baby got killed too, and that should count."

However, unlike in the United States, Canada law does not recognize the unborn child as a second victim in criminal attacks. A baby is not considered a human being worthy of legal protection until after birth.

CanWest said a spokesman for Harper indicated a meeting will not likely be arranged but Cocelli says he has a meeting set up next month with his Liberal MP Alan Tonks.

Pro-life advocacy groups have also been pressing for an unborn victims law.

The case of Alan Bryan is prompting more members of the Canadian parliament to take a new look at the idea.

Bryan, 43, has been accused of attacking his pregnant girlfriend Charlene Knapp with a sword. Knapp, who was three months into her pregnancy, was found by authorities in August with multiple stab wounds.

Knapp's baby died as a result of the attack, and she underwent four operations while in hospital in Halifax after the incident.

Bryan was apprehended and appeared in court on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and assault with a sword. He was found fit to stand trial last month after a 30-day psychiatric assessment

However, he has not been charged in any way in connection with the death of Knapp's child.

Brian Rushfeldt, executive director of the Canadian Family Action Coalition, told the Toronto Sun newspaper that's a travesty.

"You're killing one life, but you're not killing the other because it is not considered a human being," he said. "To me, this highlights the essence of recognizing life. Either we respect life or we don't, and I believe we should be recognizing the life of the unborn child."

Rushfeldt said the issue should go to the Supreme Court of Canada if necessary, but he hopes the Canadian Parliament will approve a bill recognizing both victims.

Alberta Conservative MP Leon Benoit was denied a vote on his 2006 bill to have Canada's law recognize both victims.

In June 2006, a parliamentary committee ruled the private member's bill "non-votable" in a closed-door committee hearing. Benoit said the committee's position on C-291 was out of step with what other people say about the legality of the bill.

"They believe it clearly contravenes the constitution, which is just out of line with what everybody else says," he said at the time.

The measure became embroiled in the abortion debate after pro-abortion groups complained about protecting both mother and child from assaults.

Ontario Liberal MP Paul Steckle says several MPs may look at a bill that avoids the abortion debate, but their measure may only have the nation recognizing one victim by merely enhancing the sentence of the crime against the mother.
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Benenson Society, Amnesty pro-life alternative

Posted:

Sun Oct 21, 2007 7:01 pm (GMT -5)

Schools set up Amnesty pro-life alternative

Two Sydney Catholic schools have set up the Benenson Society, to enable Catholics to continue to campaign for human rights after they have left Amnesty International due to Amnesty's decision to promote abortion rights.

Loreto Kirribilli and St Aloysius College decided to establish the society at a recent meeting held at the girls' school and will use the white rose as a symbol of the newly formed group.

Named after British Lawyer Peter Benenson, a Catholic, who founded Amnesty International in 1961, the Benenson Society aims to give students the opportunity to be involved in the promotion of human rights through the raising of awareness and by lobbying governments on behalf of prisoners of conscience, for the end of torture and the death penalty, and asserting the rights of all to basic freedoms.

While the two schools will initially sponsor the society, similar school and university groups are being invited to affiliate. Talks have also taken place with other groups such as Amnesty and Caritas Australia, Human Rights First, Christians Against Torture, Consistent Life and Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

The charter and membership registration for the Benenson Society are available at the schools website.

LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Benenson Society
Loretto Kirribilli
Peter Benenson (Wikipedia)
Death of Amnesty International Founder (Amnesty International)

ARCHIVE
Sydney Catholic College quits Amnesty (CathNews, 21/08/07)
Bishops urge Catholics to sever ties with Amnesty International (CathNews, 04/10/07)
Bishops offer help but Pell has "no idea", AJC gripes(CathNews, 05/10/07)
Withdrawal from Amnesty and establishment of the Benenson Society (CathNews, 20/08/07)

22 Oct 2007
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The Bigger View

Monday, October 22, 2007

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